The Food of Love
by Kay-yun
Summary: After finding an old box of family mementos, Fang discovers her girlfriends childhood dream and sets out to find her the perfect gift. part of the Fangrai-Forever gift exchange. Slight mature at the beginning.


**The Food of Love**

Xxx

Lightning rolled onto her back, shuddering. Fang was gently kissing up the side of her neck, all the way up to her ear, licking her earlobe. It was a wonderful way to wake up and Lightning wasn't about to complain. She giggled when the brunette rolled on top of her and pinned her arms above her head.

"Mornin', luv," Fang's accent was always heavier in the morning while her voice was still thick with sleep. Lightning always found that it was a huge turn on for her. "Sleep well?"

Lightning hummed in reply, wigging to free herself from her girlfriend's powerful grip. Unable to break free, she instead wrapped her legs around Fang's waist and pulled her closer, pressing their naked bodies together. She leaned up, moving their lips together in long sensual kiss. Fang sighed into the kiss and freed her arms in favour of running them slowly along her lover's body, cupping one of her breasts and gently massaging the soft flesh. Lightning moaned at the action, only to pull back and rest her forehead on Fang's. She breathed in Fang's intoxicating aroma as her lover worshipped every inch of her body with gentle yet eager caresses.

This wasn't the first time Fang had tried to wake her with more than just a morning kiss. When it came to sex, Fang was definitely a morning person. It had taken quite some getting used to on Lightning's part. The only thing she wanted inside her in the morning was a good cup of coffee. But she made the effort to indulge her girlfriend every now and then, and today happened to be one of those days. It was a Saturday which meant neither of them had to work. They could stay in bed as long as they wanted and if they left it up to Fang, that would be a very long time.

Fang's lips had migrated to her neck, gently kissing and nipping her pulse point as her hands continued to work Lightning into a heated frenzy. The blonde, in turn, began running her hands up and down her lover's back before they settled in the messy tangles of the brunette's untamed mane. Fang groaned into her neck and forced her hand between their bodies, slowly moving downward.

BANG!

Lightning quickly sat up, pushing them both into a seated position as Fang straddled her lap. "Did you hear that?" She had definitely heard something and it sounded a lot like a slamming door.

"Ugh, come on, baby," Fang groaned, trying to push her lover back down. "I was just getting started."

Lightning rolled her eyes, grabbing Fang's shoulder to keep them both upright. She placed her finger gently on Fang's lips when she continued to grumble, less than happy with the untimely interruption.

"I'm telling you, Fang, I heard something." Lightning whispered, "I think there's someone down-"

Lightning found herself stunned into silence as Fang began to lick and nibble on her finger, before taking it into her mouth and gently sucking on the digit.

Lightning's mouth hung open as she stared at her girlfriend with eyes half open. Fang was making a real show of it, closing her eyes and moaning seductively. She was powerless to resist. Quick as her namesake implied, Lightning wrenched her finger away from her lover's mouth, replacing it with her lips. The mysterious sounds from downstairs were the furthest thing from her mind. That was until their glorious activities were once again interrupted, this time by a loud crash that sounded a lot like metal hitting the floor.

This time, Fang heard it. She cursed under her breath as her girlfriend jumped off the bed and pulled on a bathrobe. She barely had time to speak before Lightning was out the door and heading down the stairs with her gunblade in hand.

Fang followed at a slightly slower pace after slipping on a tank-top and a pair of black pyjama pants. She wasn't worried; if there was an intruder than Lightning would be more than capable of handling it. She was halfway downstairs when she heard a bloodcurdling scream. She picked up the pace, bursting into kitchen. The scene that greeted her as she stumbled through the kitchen door nearly gave her a fit of hysterical laughter.

Lightning stood, gunblade pointed directly at her sister's face. Poor Serah looked absolutely petrified with her hands held out in a gesture of surrender. The whole scene was absolutely hilarious to Fang. She chuckled to myself as she watched Lightning slowly lowered her Gunblade, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"Dammit Serah, I could have kill you!" Lightning placed her gunblade down on the kitchen table before turning to face her sister. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Lightning winced as Serah cast her eyes down to the floor. She immediately felt guilty; she hadn't meant for her words to sound that harsh. "Sorry Serah, I really wasn't expecting you today and I really could have killed you." Lightning explained, gently taking her sister by the shoulders. "You really shouldn't creep around the house of two people who are trained in the use of deadly weapons."

"Yeah, I don't think that murdering you in cold blood was quite on her list of things to do today."

That got a soft chuckle out of Serah and Lightning smiled at her girlfriend, silently thanking her. Fang always had a way of erasing tense situations.

"So, for what do we owe this pleasure?" Fang asked, sitting down on one of the kitchen stools. "You feeling lonely without Snow around?"

Lightning eyes softened as she stepped closer to her sister. Snow being gone for over a week didn't bother her in the least but she hated the idea of Serah feeling lonely without him.

"Not anymore! Snow came back last night," Serah replied with a wide grin, "He's with team NORA at the moment, sorting through the spoils, so I asked him to drop me off here. I'm sorry, I know I should have knocked but you did give me a key"

Lightning loved to see Serah so happy. Even if it was because of her behemoth of a brother-in-law. She was glad Snow was home; her sister had been moping around for the past week a half.

"Did they bring anything good home this time?"

The hopeful look in Fang's eyes when she asked made Serah chuckle. "Maybe…" She giggled even more when Fang gave her a pointed glare, amusement poorly hidden.

"Don't tease me, little Farron. I get more than enough of that from your sister." Fang's light-hearted teasing made Serah laugh and Lightning blush.

Serah reached into her pocket, searching for something. Fang grumbled as the younger Farron made a show of not being able to find what she was looking for. She squealed when the huntress jumped to her feet, stalking towards her like she was pray.

"Okay, okay, here!" Serah squealed as Fang moved to tackle her. She jumped out of the way, pulling the box out of her pocket and throwing it in Fang's direction. The brunette caught the box with ease, grinning triumphantly.

"Why thank you, little Farron, you really shouldn't have." Serah watched Fang rip into the box without a second's hesitation.

Lightning rolled her eyes, watching the exchange with quiet amusement. This happened every time Snow came back from one of his expeditions to collect supplies from Cocoon. Since many of residences of Cocoon had made the move to Gran Pulse, supplies had been running low. A lot of things such as food, clean water and clothing could be made or taken from the land, and as far as Lightning was concerned, that was good enough for her. Unfortunately, not everybody was as practical as she was. Most human beings seemed to require more than just simple survival. Lightning understood that but, as she watched her girlfriend eagerly tearing the wrapping off of the box of milk chocolates, she couldn't help but think it was all a little overindulgent.

"Fang don't eat all these now! Save some for later."

Fang grinned at her the best she could with a mouth full of chocolate. Lightning shook her head, a soft smile playing on her lips. Fang had never tried chocolate until Lightning had unwittingly introduced her to it after she and Vanille had woken from crystal sleep. Unfortunately, she had had no idea that introducing her girlfriend to chocolate would turn her into a crazed chocoholic. Fang literally couldn't get enough of the stuff, which was unfortunate since the fall had left them with limited supplies. Cocoa beans did not grow anywhere on Gran pulse and the only supply of chocolate now came from Cocoon, from Snow's now-monthly supply expeditions.

Lightning watched as Fang devoured one last piece of chocolate before closing the box and setting it aside. "Is there anymore or is it just the one box?" Fang asked.

Serah took the box from the counter top and held it out for her sister to take. "Yes, there's more but I'm giving it to Claire for safe keeping. It has to last longer than the last batch did."

Lightning chuckled at her girlfriend's hopeless expression. The last batch of chocolate, which had been quite a hefty amount, had lasted Fang less than a week. Lightning took the box from Serah, heading out of the room to put it in her special hiding place. Fang would find the new hiding place eventually, she always did.

After a quick trip upstairs to get dressed into a soft pink shirt and pair of black slacks, Lightning returned to the kitchen to find it empty. She followed the voices into the living room and found her sister sitting on the sofa with Fang. There was a large brown cardboard box on Serah's lap and she grinned up at her when she entered the room.

"What's that?" Lightning asked, taking a seat beside her girlfriend on the sofa.

Serah knelt on the floor beside the coffee table, placing the box on top of it. She started rummaging through the contents as she spoke.

"Well, when Snow went to Cocoon this month, I asked him to do something for me." She stopped moving through the box for a moment to give her sister her full attention, "I've been thinking lately about all the things I miss about Cocoon, but mainly our old house."

Lightning flashed Serah a sad smile. She knew that her sister missed Cocoon sometimes, and it was harder for Serah than it was for her. Lightning was adapting to life on Gran Pulse far more easily than most were. If anything, it suited her much more than life in a big city had. The new residents of Gran pulse had split themselves between two towns; Oerba, which had the most population by far, and New Bodum, which had been recently been built on the seafront. Fang and Lightning lived in Oerba with Vanille living only a few doors down from them while Sazh and his son lived on the other side of town. Hope had been the only one of them to stay on Cocoon after the fall and was now living with his father in Palumpolum. Serah and Snow had opted to live in New Bodum along with the rest of team NORA. Lightning had protested at first, not wanting Serah to live too far away from her, but thanks to the new yet crudely built road that had been constructed between the two towns, it wasn't all that bad. Especially with the help of Cocoon's vehicles and the chocobos.

After Fang and Vanille had awoken from their crystal sleep, which had lasted only four months, everyone had been waiting with bated breath for the crystal pillar holding up Cocoon to fall. It didn't and, as it turned out, the two Pulsian's four month stay inside had given the crystal pillar enough stability to stand on its own. It had came as a great relief to everyone, and many citizens had moved back up to Cocoon now that it was able to sustain itself.

The floating city had not been untouched by the fall and many areas were completely uninhabitable but with hard work and determination, it was slowly beginning to return to its former glory. Serah had wanted to return to Cocoon but that would have come with the cost of moving far away from her sister. It was clear that Lightning was happier living on Gran Pulse. Besides, to Serah, home was wherever her family happened to be. So, she had resigned herself to making a new and better live on Gran Pulse.

But even though everybody was happy with life on Gran pulse, Lightning knew that Serah still missed Cocoon sometimes, especially their old house there.

"So, I asked Snow to go to our old house and see if he could find anything," Serah continued, "Apparently the place was in a really rough state but he did manage to find some of our old stuff in the basement." Serah grinned, gesturing at the cardboard box.

Lightning sat up a little straighter, giving the box a suspicious glare. She couldn't begin to imagine what Snow had uncovered in the Farron family basement.

"Don't keep us in suspense! What do you got there?" Fang asked, leaning forward along with her girlfriend. She was just as curious to see the contents of the box as Lightning was.

Lightning watched her sisters face soften with a sad smile as she opened the box and pulled out a photo frame before passing it to her. Lightning held the photo in her hands, staring down at it. She could sense Fang's presence behind her, her chin resting on her shoulder.

"Your mum is really beautiful. She looks just like you."

Lightning smiled, turning her head to give her girlfriend a gentle kiss on the lips. It was sweet of Fang to say that. "Thank you, but I always thought Serah had a closer resemblance," she replied, glancing at her sister who smiled back at her.

"True, but you're both stunning so it hardly matters." Fang's comment caused the younger Farron to giggle and hide her face in her hands. Lightning only rolled her eyes, but nevertheless a smile tugged at her lips.

"That's you, right?" Fang asked, pointing at the picture.

Lightning nodded before turning her attention back to the picture. It was a family portrait; Serah was sitting on her mother's lap and looked to be about four years old at the time. Next to her was a young Claire Farron, smiling happily as she sat on her father's lap. They all looked incredibly happy. It was a beautiful picture.

Lightning stood, walking over to the mantelpiece and placing the picture between one of herself and Fang and one of her and Serah. She turned back to her sister, seeking approval. Serah smiled and nodded, seemingly happy with the decision.

"What else is in there?" Lightning asked, before retaking her seat beside Fang.

A few moments later, Lightning immediately regretted those words as Serah pulled a dark green fluffy toy out of the box. Lightning groaned, burying her head in her hands. The action caused Serah to erupt into a fit of giggles. Fang immediately seized the fluffy toy from Serah's hands, grinning as she inspected it.

"Okay, what in the name of Etro's tits is this thing?" Fang asked, grinning at the toy in her hands.

It was basically just a rounded blob of dark green fluff with two goofy looking and slightly crossed eyes stuck onto the front, and a large grinning mouth underneath. It looked ridiculous.

"That's not a thing, Fang. That's Mr Slimy."

Fang burst out laughing at Serah's words. "Mr. Slimy! Seriously?" She turned the toy over in her hands. It was sure an ugly little thing but she couldn't figure out for the life of her why it was called Mr. Slimy. It wasn't slimy at all; more fluffy than anything else. It was then that Fang realized what this hideous thing was actually supposed to be. "Wait, is this a flan?" she asked.

Serah nodded. "Yup, Mr. Slimy the Flan. He's pretty hideous, isn't he?"

"Yeah, I can't imagine you having a toy like this, Serah," Fang chuckled.

Serah grinned, a mysterious twinkle in her eye as she looked over at her sister. "Oh, but Mr. Slimy wasn't mine, Fang."

Fang's focus immediately shifted to her girlfriend who looked absolutely mortified. She immediately buried her face in her hands, groaning loudly. "You just had to tell her that, didn't you, Serah?"

Serah laughed at her sister's embarrassment and Fang couldn't help but join in. Mr. Slimy belonged to her girlfriend. Oh, that was priceless! Lightning took the toy from Fang, who was still in the midst of an epic giggling fit. "It wasn't my choice! I only ended up with him because Serah didn't want him."

Fang, having finally calmed down, tried to control her smirk as she addressed her girlfriend. "Please tell me you named him?"

Lightning's face had turned almost the same colour as her hair but when she didn't need to reply as Serah beat her to it.

"Yup, she named him." Fang burst into hysterical laughter again. "After that, it was Claire and Mr. Slimy. She never went anywhere without that ugly thing."

Lightning watched her girlfriend practically hyperventilate from laughing so hard. She felt like crawling into a hole somewhere. This was beyond embarrassing. Lightning waited for Fang to finally calm down before she felt the need to defend herself.

"Look, I was six years old when I got him. We were at the Bodum Beach Annual Fair and our father won him on one of those stupid fairground attractions." Lightning explained to her now calm girlfriend who, despite having stopped laughing, was still smirking at her. "Serah didn't want him and dad was going to just throw him away, so I took him. I mean, sure, he's ugly but I always thought he had character."

"I hope that's not what you tell people about me." Fang joked gaining a soft chuckle from her embarrassed girlfriend. "I think that's actually pretty sweet. Little Claire didn't want him to go in the garbage just because he isn't a looker."

Lightning rolled her eyes. It was true but she wasn't about to admit that.

"Okay, okay! Let's put Mr. Slimy away before my sister's cheeks set fire to her hair." Serah giggled, earning a death glare from the older Farron.

Serah put the fluffy flan on the floor beside her, out of view from her sister, before once again digging through the box. They watched with fascination and, in Lightning's case, trepidation as Serah pulled a small stack of papers out of the box. After a few minutes of carefully examining the papers, Serah handed them to Lightning with a sad smile. Lightning took them from her sister immediately recognising her father's handwriting. Fang once again leaned over her shoulder to get a better look.

"That's music, isn't it?" Fang asked.

Lightning only nodded in response, not saying a word, only staring at the papers. Her eyes were slightly misty as if she were deep inside her own memory. Serah spoke for her.

"Yeah, it's sheet music written by our father." As Serah spoke, her eyes never left her sister. "As you probably already know, our father was a police officer but there was far more to him that. He loved music and he was really good at it too. I've never heard a better piano player and he was an amazing songwriter as well."

Fang listened in awe. Of course Lightning had told her about her parents, but she had never mentioned this. When she talked about her father, she had only ever mentioned two things; that he was a damn good police officer and an amazing father. She had neglected to mention that he was also a brilliant musician. Briefly, Fang wondered why Lightning had omitted this particular fact. She looked over at her girlfriend who still looked like she was a million worlds away as she stared down at the papers in her hands. The look in her eyes was almost haunting, somewhere between underlying affection and passionate longing. Fang had never quite seen that look on her girlfriend's face before. It was frighteningly beautiful and, at the same time, it pulled heavily on the brunette's heartstrings.

Fang turned her attention back to Serah, urging her to continue. "Claire used to play with him every day after work. He would come home and the first thing he would do was head for his study. Claire was always there, waiting for him, and they would play for hours."

Fang once again glanced over at Lightning but she didn't seem to be listening. She was shocked, to say the least. Her girlfriend played the piano. It was news to her but for some reason it made her feel a bit giddy.

"Claire stopped playing altogether shortly after our parents died. The piano just sat there in the corner of our study." Serah continued, wetness began to form in her eyes but she quickly blinked away. "It's a shame because she was actually really good. Our father always told her that one day, she would be a famous musician and Claire loved that. That's exactly what she always wanted to be… Well, at least before they passed away and… you know the rest."

Fang did know the rest. Lightning hadn't been given a chance to fulfil any dreams she may have had. She was forced to grow up, to take responsibility and forget any of her own hopes and dreams.

"Tck, ridiculous." Both Fang and Serah's attention was quickly back on the older Farron. She had finally placed the papers on the coffee table and had sat back on the sofa with her legs crossed. "Silly childish pipe dreams." Her voice was cold and Fang could definitely hear the bitter hint of resentment behind her words.

Fang felt her heart wrench as she looked upon her girlfriend. She could clearly see the pain she was trying so hard to hide from her and she knew Serah could see it to. Only people who knew Lightning as intimately as they did could see the truth. Fang had seen Lightning at her most vulnerable, and she could see that vulnerability as clear as day right now. Hidden in the depths of ocean blue eyes.

XXXXXX

Fang woke the next day with her girlfriend curled up in her arms, her head resting on her shoulder. She gently ran her fingers through soft pink hair, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before carefully rolling out of her arms and heading for the bathroom.

After the interesting events of yesterday morning, Fang had been distracted for the rest of the day. The haunted look in her girlfriend's eyes as she had looked at her father's sheet music had been playing over and over in her mind, and this morning was no different. Fang leaned over the bathroom counter, staring at her own reflection in the mirror. Lightning had fallen asleep in her arms that night but Fang couldn't sleep, she had had too much on her mind. Lightning had given up everything for Serah and she knew that her girlfriend would do it again in a heartbeat but how many of her own hopes and dreams had she been forced sacrifice in the process? Fang knew Lightning was lying about it only being a childish pipe dream, she could tell by the look in her girlfriend's eyes that it had meant far more to her.

It was that night as her girlfriend lay sleeping in her arms that Fang formulated a plan. She had to do something for Lightning. Help her reclaim a little of her childhood self, but it wasn't going to be easy. The first step was coming up with an excuse to leave the house that wouldn't make Lightning suspicious. A fake emergency call from work was the obvious choice, but what possible emergency would sound believable? Since the residents of Gran pulse relied heavily on the land for their food supply, Fang's skills as a huntress had never been in such high demand. During the week, she was out most of the day hunting to ensure that the residents of Oerba were always well fed but the weekends were her time to spend with Lightning. There was no way Lightning would believe her if she suddenly decided to go hunting on a weekend. The obvious choice was to claim that there had been some sort of attack, maybe a Behemoth was terrorizing some of the colonists, but then the soldier would most likely insist on helping.

Fang stepped into the shower, sighing in frustration. She had to think of something, some way to get out of the house without alerting her girlfriend to her secret agenda. Running her hands through her hair, Fang realized that there was only one way and if it was going to work she would have to be quick.

She stepped out of the shower, quickly drying herself and tiptoeing quietly across the bedroom. Lightning was still fast asleep, tucked up in the blankets and cuddled up to one of Fang's pillows in lieu of her girlfriend. Fang got dressed as quietly as possible before grabbing a piece of paper and quickly jotting down a note claiming that Noel needed her help with a particularly difficult hunt. She placed the note on Lightning's bedside table, taking a moment to look at her girlfriend before quickly leaving the room. Leaving before Lightning awoke was really the only way and Fang knew she would be pissed at her but hopefully by the end of the day, it wouldn't matter.

XXXXXX

Snow never was the brightest spark in the plug, but as Fang attempted to explain her simple plan for the tenth time, she was getting frustrated.

"Look, all you need to know is that I need to get to Cocoon," Fang explained, "so can you help me or not?"

Snow scratched his head as if thinking, which Fang couldn't help but think was a little ironic. After leaving the house that morning, she had headed straight for New Bodum, and Snow and Serah's beachside home. Unfortunately, she needed Snow's help if she wanted to get to Cocoon any time soon.

"Well, we just got back, Fang. You know we only go once every three months, right?" Fang grumbled yet again. She already knew that, but she needed to get there today.

"I'm aware of that! But I'm asking if there's any way to get me up there today."

"Oh, well, you're asking the wrong person then," Snow replied, he could tell Fang was getting frustrated. "You need to talk to Sazh, it's his plane we use."

Fang threw her hands up in frustration. She had been here for over an hour and the big idiot was only just telling her this. Sometimes, Fang really did wonder why he didn't fall down more.

"Right so I need to talk to Sazh, got it." When Fang realized what she was saying, she growled. "God dammit! I've just travelled all the way here from Oerba when the guy I actually needed to talk to lives a few streets down from my house!?" She wasn't exactly asking the question, and didn't expect Snow to answer. She just need to vent her frustration.

"Sorry Fang. Hey, I can give you a lift back if you like."

Fang immediately attempted to calm herself, giving him a quick nod before heading for the door with him in toe. So, she would have to head back to Oerba and had wasted half the day already but grumbling about it wasn't going to help.

Less than an hour later she was banging heavily on Sazh's front door.

"Alright, I'm coming! You know, I'm not as young as I used to be." Sazh shouted, before pulling open the front door. "Damn it, girl, you trying to give an old man a heart attack?"

Fang smirked, walking into the house before Sazh even had chance to invite her in. He closed the door behind her.

"I'll get straight to the point. I need a favour." Fang said, placing her hands on her hips.

"What no hug? Not even a 'hello Sazh you're looking mighty fine today, is that a new hair cut?'"

Fang chuckled, walking over to Sazh and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Sorry mate, I'm kinda worked up, ya know? Just spent the last hour having to deal with Snow, and I'm in no mood for pleasantries."

Sazh nodded in understanding. "Can't argue with that. So, what can I do for you?" He sat in the armchair, gesturing for Fang take the seat opposite.

Fang sat down, crossing her legs. "Snow tells me that they've been using your plane to make the trips to Cocoon." Sazh nodded, signalling for her to continue. "Well, I need to get there… today."

Fang frowned when Sazh shook his head. "I don't know Fang, I'd love to help but I can't leave my boy alone again when I just got back last night."

Fang could understand that. Sazh was devoted to his son and the last thing she wanted to do was keep him away from Dajh. "I get it, I really do but I just need one day," Fang pleaded, "if I don't find what I'm looking for by midnight, we'll head back. I promise."

Sazh expression softened, he could tell that whatever it was Fang was after on Cocoon must be important to her. "This is really important to you, isn't it?"

Fang only nodded, her eyes silently pleading with him. If Sazh said no then she would have reached the end of the line. She couldn't think of another way to get to Cocoon on such short notice.

"I'll tell you what, if you can find someone to look after Dajh for the day, I'll take you to Cocoon."

Fang jumped up from her chair, pulling Sazh into a hug, "Easy there, girly! You still gonna find me a sitter, ya know?"

Fang chuckled before quickly pulling her cell phone out and switching it on. She had left it switched off all morning, ever since she left the house. She didn't want to lie to her girlfriend any more than she already had if she phoned. She groaned when she noticed four new text messages and three voice mails. All of them from Lightning. She ignored them in favour of opening up her call list and scrolling down to connect. The phone rang only a few times before a chirpy voice answered.

"Hi Fangy!" No matter what, Fang could always count on Vanille to lighten the mood.

"Hey Nille, remember how I'm ya all-time favourite sister and you'd do anything for me?" Fang could hear Sazh snickering behind her. No doubt in awe of her legendary yun charm. "Well, I need a favour and it's a biggie."

"Oh Fang," Vanille giggled, "You know, you're my only sister, so that automatically makes you my favourite."

"Then you won't mind doing your only sister a favour, hm? Here's the thing-" Fang was cut short by the sound of voices on the other end of the line. Vanille muttered a quick "hold on" as Fang listened, hearing the unmistakable voice of Serah in the background. There was a few moments of chatter but Fang couldn't hear clearly enough to make out what was being said before Vanille was back on the line.

"Oh Fang, what have you been up to?" Vanille asked in a teasing tone. "Serah is not happy with you."

Fang shuddered slightly. A pissed off Serah was sometimes worse than an enraged Lightning. At least Lightning could be disarmed with an earthshattering kiss or a simple "I love you". Serah, on the other hand, was completely immune to Fang's roguish charm. Usually, there was only one thing that worked on the younger Farron and that was "your sister loves me, so you better not kill me". However Fang didn't think that one was going to work today.

"What Serah? Hang on Fang." More background chatter before Vanille was back. "Serah says you left Lightning this morning without even a word and she's pissed off."

"I left a note…" Fang replied in her defence. She hesitated to tell Vanille what was really going on; her sister couldn't keep a secret to save her life.

"Well, you shouldn't have switched your phone off. My sister is worried sick!" That was Serah, shouting right into the phone receiver.

"Hang on, Fang, I'm putting you on speakerphone… There done. Now, what's going on?" Fang could now hear a lot more background noise.

"Listen, I had to leave before Lightning woke up so she wouldn't get suspicious," Fang said, knowing she had no chose but to tell them what she was up to now. "I'm planning a little something for Lightning, and I wanted to keep it a surprise."

"Oh, I love surprises! Is it romantic? Oh I bet it is."

Fang could still hear Serah grumbling in the background, but she smiled never the less.

"It better be romantic, Fang, for your sake!" Serah did indeed sound pissed off and Fang felt herself shudder at the tone. "Claire phoned me this morning and she did not sound happy."

Fang frowned; the last thing she had wanted to do was upset her girlfriend. She hoped that if she could pull this off then they would both forgive her. It would be worth it in the end.

"Don't worry Serah, I know what I'm doing. I already send a message to Noel this morning." Fang replied, trying her best to reassure the younger Farron. "If she phones him, he's gonna tell Lightning that I'm fine and just too busy to talk. She'll understand." Fang silently added "I hope" to the end of her sentence.

"Okay Fang, I hope for your sake that you're righ-." Serah started to talk but was cut off by a very excited Vanille.

"Come on Fangy! What's the surprise? Tell us." Fang chuckled, she wasn't sure whether she should say anything until it was decided, so she better be vague on the details.

"Okay, look I'm going to Cocoon to get something for Lightning. Sazh is going to fly me there and that brings me back to the favour I was going to ask you, 'Nille."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Vanille replied, "What is it?"

Fang turned to Sazh who was still sitting on the armchair, listening in to the exchange with a grin. She smiled at him, gesturing that it was nearly time to make a move. Sazh stood, shaking his head with amusement and made for the stairs to retrieve Dajh.

"How would you like to spend the day with your favourite little man?" Fang asked.

"Hope?"

Fang burst into laughter at Vanille reply. She always suspected Vanille had a soft spot for Hope. It was comments like this that almost confirmed it. "Well I was talking about Dajh actually." There was a soft "oh" from the other end of the line which Fang guessed was also accompanied by a heavy blush. "So you mind taking care of him for the day?"

Vanille squealed down the phone so loud that Fang had to move it away from her ear. "Yes! I love little Dajh. I'm at the orphanage with Serah at the moment but, if Sazh doesn't mind, he can come help us."

Fang smiled. She was sure Sazh wouldn't mind at all and, as if on cue, Sazh appeared at the top of the stairs carrying Dajh on his back.

"We'll be there in an hour to drop him off. And thanks 'Nille, I really appreciate this."

Fang hung up the phone after a quick goodbye and headed out the door with Sazh and Dajh following behind her.

XXXXXX

It was past midnight and Lightning was more than a little worried. When Fang had left this morning. She had been angry and a little hurt. Fang never went hunting on weekends; that was their time to spend together and Lightning had briefly wondered if her girlfriend was getting tired of her. They had been together for nearly a year and living together for only 2 months. Maybe Fang had got fed up with her already. She had called Serah who had assured her that Fang loved her more than anything and must have had a good reason for leaving with barely a word. Then she had called Noel who said Fang was too busy to talk but that she was fine.

Despite the reassurances, Lightning was still a little upset. Fang had chosen hunting with Noel over spending the day with her; she couldn't help but feel rejected. Now however, all these feeling had been replaced with worry. Even on weekdays Fang had never stayed out hunting past midnight. She was normally home before it got dark out, and Lightning was starting to panic.

Just as she was about to try and call Noel for the tenth time that day, she heard the front door open. She sprinted into the hallway and was met with a very tired looking girlfriend. Their eyes met for a moment before Serah ran in behind Fang, grabbing Lightning's arm and pulling her back into the living room.

"Serah, what the hell?" Lightning protested as she was dragged through the house and into the back garden.

Serah grinned at her before pushing her into one of the garden chairs and taking a seat next to her. "Shhh, Claire. Just stay here for a few minutes."

Lightning looked back into the house and through the patio doors. She desperately wanted to go back inside and see Fang, not only to make sure she was okay but also to chew her out for leaving all day. She started to get up but was pushed back down by Serah.

"Stay," Serah only giggled at the death glare she received from her sister. "Please, trust me, it's important."

Lightning sighed, leaning back on her chair. This was driving her mad. She needed to see Fang and find out what the hell was going on.

"Serah, wha-" Lightning was stopped by a loud banging noise coming from inside the house, followed by a long string of curses from what sounded a lot like Snow.

Serah giggled when Lightning rolled her eyes, "What's Snow doing here? And what are they doing in there?"

"Shhh, you'll see. Just sit here."

Lightning could have sworn that they sat there for hours, even though in reality, it could have barely been ten minutes. Every time she tried to asked Serah a question, she would be told, "Shhh, just trust me." After what felt like a lifetime, Snow appeared at the patio door, grinning like an idiot and gesturing for them to come inside.

Lightning walked into the house to find no sign of Fang in the living room. She walked Serah to the front door, still deeply confused by what was happening. Serah grinned, giving her sister a hug and whispering in her ear.

"Enjoy Claire. I'll see you tomorrow," Serah said before turning to leave, "This is Fang's show now."

Fang's show? Lightning couldn't begin to comprehend the meaning behind that. She closed the front door after watching Serah and Snow drive away. When she turned into the now-empty hallway, Fang was nowhere to be seen. She was about to head upstairs in hopes of finding her in their bedroom when she heard soft sounds coming from the study. She turned to head for the door but was halted in her tracks when the door opened and Fang appeared, closing the door behind her.

"Hey beautiful," Fang turned on her best smile, hoping her charm would defuse her girlfriend's frustration.

Lightning still wasn't used to handling too many complex emotions all the same time, and now she was struggling with a fair few. Upon seeing Fang, she had been hit with a tidal wave of relief, glad that the huntress was home safe and unharmed but also confusion remained over whatever the hell her girlfriend had up too. Last but not least, was anger at being left at home alone all day. As always, Lightning acted on the most familiar emotion without thinking.

"Fang! Where the hell have you been?" Lightning shouted, punching her girlfriend hard on her arm. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been? It's past midnight."

Fang winced, rubbing her arm. She had expected this; she had known that Lightning would be angry with her but it didn't matter. If her hunch was correct then she would be forgiven soon.

"Hey, I'm sorry, luv," Fang replied softly. She didn't give Lightning a chance to respond before gently taking her by the hand and leading her through the study doors. "I had to find something and, well, I hope you like it."

Lightning allowed herself to be lead into the study, still deeply confused. When she was all the way inside, she stopped dead in her tracks with a soft gasp.

There, in the corner of her study, was a beautiful jet black grand piano. The piano was embossed with elegant gold floral trimmings along the lid and all the way up the beautiful tapered legs. As Lightning approached, her senses were filled with the smell of freshly varnished wood along with a familiar scent that she couldn't quite recognize. She knew this piano, there was no mistaking it. She approached the piano tentatively, running her fingers gently along the lid. She turned to Fang who was staring at her with a nervous smile. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, it didn't feel real.

"How?" Lightning could barely choke out the word as her eyes drifted back to piano.

Fang watched as her girlfriend carefully caressed the lid of the piano with her fingertips as though she was afraid of breaking it. "Well, it wasn't easy, I can tell ya. First, I had to sneak out of the house, sorry about that by the way." Fang grinned but Lightning didn't see it, she was listening, but couldn't pull her eyes away of the piano. "Then I went to see Snow, who sent me to Sazh. Then we had to head to the orphanage and finally we were on our way to Cocoon."

Lightning gasped, finally looking up to meet her girlfriend's eyes. "You went all the way to Cocoon?" she asked, not quite believing it.

Fang nodded. "Yeah, we went to your old house, found the piano easy enough. It was still in your father's study but it was in a hell of a state. We loaded the thing up but I didn't want to bring it back to you in that state, so we headed to Palumpolum."

Lightning's eyes were back on the piano but she couldn't believe what she was hearing. It sounded like Fang had been all over both worlds for her.

"So, we figured there would be someone in Palumpolum that could help us find a music restorer or something… Anyways, we ended up going to three different music shops before we found a guy that could do it. It took him six hours to do it, I tell ya I've never been so bored in my life…but well, here we are with one freshly restored grand pian-"

Fang stopped talking when she saw a single tear in her girlfriend's eye. She rushed over to her, quickly pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry, I've messed up, haven't I? I'll get rid of it. I'm really sor-ugm"

Fang was interrupted as soft lips collided with her own. Lightning was kissing her with such passion and intensity that she felt like she might faint at any moment. Her legs turned to jelly when her girlfriend grabbed the back of her head, pulling her deeper into the kiss. Fang felt as though she was falling until suddenly her back hit the floor with a thud. Lightning was straddling her hips, never once breaking the kiss. Their lips moved together in a familiar-yet-unfamiliar dance of love and passion.

Finally, Lightning pulled away, leaving Fang in a grinning boneless heap on the carpet. Once she recovered her senses enough to move, Fang reached up and gently wiped the tear that had escaped her girlfriend's blue eyes. "I take it you like it then?"

Lightning smiled, looking down at her girlfriend with nothing but love and affection. She wanted to speak, to tell Fang what she truly felt, but she didn't trust her voice. "You," the word came out as more of an emotion filled sob and Lightning blushed, averting her eyes.

Fang chuckled, sitting up with her girlfriend still straddling her lap. She placed her arms firmly around her Lightning's waist, pulling her close. Neither of them spoke as they exchanged gentle kisses. Fang ran her hands up and down her lover's back, caressing her lips and whispering sweet words of love between kisses.

Finally feeling calm enough to speak, Lightning pulled back to look into her girlfriend's eyes. She placed her hand on the brunette's cheek, gently caressing the skin with her fingertips. "You did all this for me?"

Fang leaned in, giving her girlfriend a gentle kiss on the nose. "I'd do anything for you," she replied, running her hands through Lightning's silky hair. "I love you."

Lightning sighed contentedly before standing up, pulling Fang along with her. She wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck, feeling Fang arms encircle her waist. "I need to do something for you. I need to thank you."

Fang looked her girlfriend in the eyes with a grin. "Oh, I can think of the perfect way for you to thank me," she replied, wiggling her eyebrows.

Lightning chuckled at her ever-active girlfriend, moving in to kiss her again before whispering in her ear, "Oh, don't worry, you'll be getting plenty of thanking in the bedroom later." Lightning rolled her eyes as Fang's grin got impossibly bigger, "but that's not what I mean, I need to give you something-"

Fang grumbled when Lightning was suddenly gone, stepping out of her arms and leaving the room only to return moments later. She watched as her girlfriend walked over to the piano, carrying a small stack of papers that she immediately recognized. Lightning then placed the papers in front of the piano, taking a seat on the bench in front of it.

Fang had a feeling she knew what was about to happen but as she watched Lightning carefully open the piano lid to reveal the ivory keys, she felt her heart skip a beat. She stepped back a few paces, sitting on top of the desk behind her as she watched the blonde gently run her fingertips over the keys of the piano. Lightning didn't press down hard enough to made a sound, just feeling the smooth ivory beneath her fingers.

When Lightning started playing, Fang released a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Her fingers moved across the keys, playing a melody so beautiful that it nearly made the brunette weep. Lightning's eyes were closed and Fang had never seen her look so content. She looked so at place as her fingers moved along the keys with ease, playing each note with perfect precision and timing. But what stole Fang's breathe away was the emotion. Every note told a story of longing, a yearning to be heard and understood, and for the first time Fang felt as though she could see into her girlfriend's very soul.

When the song ended, Lightning simply sat in the front of the piano, taking a deep breath to calm her emotions. She closed the lid with shaky hands before turning to her girlfriend. Fang now stood, staring at her in awe, and when Lightning moved closer, she noticed the tears running down the brunette's cheeks. They stood in silence, staring into each other's eyes.

Fang had never been so touched in her entire life. Lightning had shown her a part of herself that so few had ever seen. She felt overwhelmed. She dashed across the room, pulling the blonde into her arms and holding her tight. She felt Lightning throw her arms around her neck as she wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. They held each other in a loving embrace until Fang pulled back to look into her girlfriend's eyes. No words were necessary, their emotions were clear to see. Lightning rested her forehead against Fang's, allowing their noses to brush together. Silence touches of love and devotion passed between them.

Fang was sure today she had given Lightning the greatest gift she had ever received. What she didn't expect was to get the greatest gift of her life in return.


End file.
